"Before their arrest, the assembled group of congressmen, religious leaders and cultural icons spoke about the humanitarian crisis faced by hundreds of thousands of Sudanese who have been prevented from receiving international aid by president Bashir.

"Clooney and the group of protesters stepped onto embassy grounds after giving short speeches, at which point they were instructed that they must leave or be arrested. On the third warning, officers told the group they were under arrest, and the protestors lined up to get handcuffed and were removed to a waiting van."

Over the past few days, Clooney has been on a grand tour of the nation's capital. He testified before the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee about the humanitarian crisis on the Sudan and South Sudan border.

"Just back from an eight-day trip to the region, Clooney described a secret, six-hour trip across the border to the Nuba Mountains, with rocket attacks, death and destruction. He recalled how a 9-year-old boy had his hands blown off," the AP reported.

Clooney also attended the White House's state dinner for British Prime Minister David Cameron.

His arrest today has proven a very popular topic on twitter. Clooney is trending on two langues and the #freeclooney hashtag is one of the most popular.